Niche Theme

If there was a pattern in responses about the Theme, it was that it was both light and powerful. Testers also noted the even flex pattern from nose-to-tail--some loved that, while others suggested a more differentiated flex between the board's center, nose, and tail. This eco-conscious, positively cambered freestyle offering from Niche employs a medium flex pattern and had riders relishing its capabilities when logging airtime and putting it on edge. "It does whatever you ask of it--jumps, jibs, or turns," explained one such satisfied tester, adding that, "It could be a quiver killer." Another tester on the light side of the weight spectrum declared, "If it was going to be a dedicated jibber it could be slightly softer but as an all around destroyer it flexes perfectly." One thing seems certain: when it comes to its preferred type of park riding, the Theme ironically doesn't have one. It wants to do it all. This is an ideal board for the indecisive and environmentally concerned freestyler.

Length (cm) -Waist Width (cm)

149 -25

152 -25.2

155 -25.4

158 -25.6

Flex: 6/10

Camber: Traditional

Base: Sintered

Shape: True Twin

(Flex is not standardized and differs by brand. The rating here is the best estimate of the board's flex.)

With hundreds of options available, how do you pick the best snowboard for you and your riding? The 2017-2018 Good Wood board test is a great place to start. Every board in here has been through rigorous rounds of testing in the environments it's intended for, and passed. Between the feature-filled freestyle terrain at Carinthia at Mount Snow in Vermont, and the rugged steeps of Snowbird, Utah, our eclectic and discerning testers rode and rated hundred of snowboards, ultimately concluding that these are the pinnacle of this season's freestyle and freeride offerings, respectively. Our crew is comprised of riders of riders of vastly varying sizes and backgrounds, with two commonalities: they're all experienced snowboarders with astute product knowledge. When a board stokes out the majority of this group, it means something. In addition to the park and all-mountain Good Wood accolades, we award two boards in each category with the “Bang for your Buck” designation, meaning they're the top-performers with the lowest price tags. Now in its 19th year, TransWorld SNOWboarding's Good Wood is the longest-running and most credible snowboard test on the planet.

How The Boards Are Scored

Shortly after ripping laps on each model, our testers score the board based on a comprehensive set of characteristics that include edgehold, pop, swingweight, turn initiation, stability, and flex. The scorecards for the park and all-mountain categories of the test each have unique and specific criteria designed to pinpoint the strengths and weakness of a snowboard in the setting respective to its category. Beyond the quantifiable scoring, we also ask testers to comments on each facet of the board's performance. These notes we refer to extensively when writing each review. Dive into the results and see what performed for our testers, then find what will work for you.